


Stars Above

by Halo_Reznor



Category: How To Destroy Angels (Band), Nine Inch Nails (Band)
Genre: Bisexual Male Character, Camping, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Multi, OT3, Polyamory, Probably ooc, Prompt Fic, Sappy, Stargazing, Swearing, Takes place in 2010 roughly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 22:48:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29641872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Halo_Reznor/pseuds/Halo_Reznor
Summary: Trent, Mariqueen, and Atticus look at the stars.Loosely inspired bythis prompt from otpprompts.
Relationships: Trent Reznor/Mariqueen Maandig/Atticus Ross
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	Stars Above

**Author's Note:**

> I had started out writing a different story for these three about them falling in love, but I was kinda struggling with ideas. Then I saw the prompt from the long dead otpprompts Tumblr, and ended up recycling bits from a scrapped "Trent/Atticus if you squint" story. Except that one would've been more about pseudo-philisophical rambling, and a UFO showing up at the end just because.
> 
> This is the second version of the story. The first version was a little bit darker, but in the end I didn't feel comfortable with it. Either way, this story ended up more personal, and more rambly and plotless, than I intended. But I just hope that you, dear reader, will find something in this story to appreciate.
> 
> Lastly, sorry for any grammar mistakes. I checked several times, but I'm sure I missed something.
> 
> ~ Jamie
> 
> DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. The events in this story never occurred, and the characters involved are not an accurate reflection of the individuals presented therein.

Night had fallen upon the campgrounds, blanketing the trees in shadow. Campers were either sleeping off a long hike, telling stories around the campfire, or complaining about the lack of cell coverage. The wind blew gently through the countless branches like a lullaby singing the campers and myriad creatures of the forest into a deep, peaceful sleep.

And in the dark and endless sky above, each bright star revealed themself one by one.

In a green and gray tent with the rainfly removed, three individuals were wide awake on a large air mattress and gazing into the silvery night.

Mariqueen lied on the left side of the mattress, holding a flimsy paperback book with a five-pointed star on the front above her head. She placed the book on her stomach and returned her focus to the sky, her eyes lighting up at what she saw. Excitedly, she nudged the dark-haired man next to her. "Trent, look! I found the Big Dipper."

Trent, who was lying in the center of the mattress, squinted at the stars. "Where?"

"I'm pointing at it."

"Q, I can't tell _what_ you're pointing at."

"Come on, just look up and you'll see it!" She insisted.

He stared at the sky for a moment, and then pointed his finger upward. "Is that it?"

"Nope, not even close," She said.

Trent grumbled, "What the hell is that supposed to mean? What the fuck am I pointing at then?"

"I'm not quite sure," Atticus piped up from the right side of the mattress and pointed his own finger. "But the Big Dipper is right there like she said. Really not that hard, Trent. All you need to do is simply _look_ , and you'll find it."

Trent pressed his palm against his face. "You know what? Fuck you, and fuck you. You’re both terrible at pointing at shit. Hand me the book, I'll find it myself."

"Someone doesn't know what the Big Dipper even looks like…" Mariqueen muttered as she passed the astronomy book over to Trent.

For once, they had an entire weekend free of responsibility. Mariqueen was quick to suggest a short vacation, realizing that between How To Destroy Angels and that movie score Trent and Atticus were working on, they could all use a break (once she had seriously asked them "When _was_ the last time either of you took a break?", and neither of them could give her a clear answer).

Admittedly camping wasn't the first thing any of them would have thought of, and even Mariqueen wasn't sure where the idea came from. Nonetheless, the two men agreed in a "Sure, why not?" sort of way, and the arrangements were swiftly made. And so far, things had been going pretty well - save for an embarrassing number of failed attempts at setting up camp (they all agreed that if society crumbled and they had to rely on their survival skills, they'd be fucked). The trees were beautiful, the fresh air was great, and the weather forecast showed nothing but clear skies for the whole weekend.

Then there they were right then: the three of them lying down on the largest air mattress they could find, gazing up at the sea of stars and the pale circle that was the full moon. A cheap astronomy guidebook (picked up during the drive over) was passed between them as they tried identifying every star or constellation or asterism they could see, something that was impossible to do in L.A. due to the massive amount of light pollution.

And despite the teasing and the expletives being thrown about just then, Trent had to admit that he was having a good time. Not just because he was finally getting away from it all (however briefly), but because he was there with the two people that he cared about most, and with no responsibilities to worry about either.

He sat the book down on his chest and gazed up at the stars. Sometimes it was just nice to look…

"I can't remember the last time I really looked at the stars," He said, a bit too quietly.

"Hmm?" Murmured Atticus. "What do you mean?"

"When I was growing up in Mercer, you could look up at night and there would almost always be stars," Trent explained. "Sometimes during the summer, my grandparents and I would sit in the backyard and look at them, kinda like this."

"And you couldn't find the Big Dipper back then, either?" Mariqueen teased.

"Shut up. Anyways, I don't miss a single thing about that place, but…" Trent paused, thinking. "When I left for Cleveland, I just, um, took it for granted that the stars would still be there wherever I went. I guess I just miss the stars." He shook his head, embarrassed. "Sorry, that sounds stupid."

"No, it doesn't," Said Atticus with a shrug. "I get it, at least I think I do." Mariqueen nodded in agreement, but still Trent couldn’t shake the uncertain feeling weighing over his head.

A silence fell over the tent. Not a comfortable silence, not quite _un_ comfortable either. Just… silence. They continued to watch the sky, though they weren't passing along the book or debating what or where was what. Even then, in Trent’s case it was less ‘stargazing’ and more ‘staring into the vast void of space like any moment it would swallow him up – if the pit of dread in his stomach didn’t first’.

A soft breeze flowed through the tent, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and his arms break out in goosebumps. "They really are beautiful, huh? I never really thought about that," He said, voice distant.

"Yeah," Mariqueen replied dreamily.

"Until you realize that they're, you know, just bright balls of gas floating in the middle of sp-" Atticus stopped himself before he could finish. "But yes, very beautiful."

Trent shifted awkwardly between them. "I honestly thought I'd never see them again."

Mariqueen and Atticus looked away from the sky and at him, eyeing him with more than a little concern.

"At…" He began, anxiety creeping in his voice. "At some point in my life, I thought I wouldn't get to experience certain things - a lot of things - ever again. I never thought I'd get to lie down and stargaze again… I thought I'd be dead before I had another chance."

They went still, quiet, the stars quickly forgotten.

Then, gently, fingers brushed against Trent's right hand.

Atticus, who normally wasn't the most physically affectionate of their little trio, took Trent's hand and brought it to his lips for a shy kiss. On his left, Mariqueen moved in closer and wrapped her arms around his head, herself lightly kissing him on his forehead. Trent said nothing, only breathing softly as they kissed him. He vaguely registered the slight wetness in his eyes, the tightness in his throat.

"I'm sorry," He murmured.

"Why?" Mariqueen asked, her fingers brushing against the side of his head.

"For fucking up the mood."

"Oh baby…" She sighed. "You didn't fuck up the mood." Slowly, she lifted her head and gave Atticus some sort of look that Trent couldn’t make out from where he lied.

"Um… Well," He stuttered. "I'm trying to think of something comforting to say, or something that'll make you feel better. And, well, fuck if I do have anything to say."

A low chuckle escaped Trent's throat, but he then frowned. "I don't know what came over me. Sometimes I get stuck in my own head and I just say… whatever."

"You're okay," She said, sincerely.

All three of them huddled together under the blanket, Mariqueen resting her head on Trent's chest, Atticus cradling Trent's shoulders in his arms. Gradually, a wave of calm washed over him, clearing away the anxiety and sorrow that had so inexplicably taken hold of him.

Drowsiness, whether from the weight of his emotions or because it was so late, was setting in when Trent finally saw it. "Huh, you were right," He muttered, voice still a little tight. "There's the Big Dipper after all, just like you said. Guess I wasn’t really looking after all."

There was no reply. Instead, he was met with the hums of the steady, deep breathing as his sleeping wife and partner. Trent smiled sadly, and gave one last look at the beautiful, glittering stars above before closing his eyes and joining them.

He knew that, even if he died tomorrow, if this was the last time he saw the stars, he’d be more than satisfied with that.


End file.
